The EXPO and expos

Welcome (back) and hello (again)!

The 2025 World Expo is open. Does it matter? Yes - but it needs to define success in new ways.

Also: If you missed my in-depth look at the impacts lasting tariffs will have on the global trade shows map - catch up below.

But first - as usual - some news:

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New and noteworthy - from my log:

• World Expo 2025 is under way

The World Expo 2025 has opened in Osaka, starting the six-month event that Japan hopes will unite the world divided by tensions and wars. Held at Yumeshima (“dream island”), a reclaimed industrial waste burial site in the Osaka Bay, participants from more than 160 countries, regions and organisations showcase their futuristic exhibits inside about 80 pavillons of unique architecture. “Creating a future society for our lives” is the main theme. It is Osaka’s second Expo after a hugely successful 1970 event that attracted 64 million visitors (a record until Shanghai in 2010). This time, organisers expect 28 million visitors to attend, and about 9 million tickets have been sold in advance. The architectural marvel of this Expo is the “Grand Ring”. Designed by architect Sou Fujimoto, it is a lattice-like structure encircling the venue and recognised by the Guinness World Records as the largest wooden architecture. It is 20 meters (65 feet) high and has a 2-kilometer circumference. See also my main story this week.

• World's largest trade fair reports 600,000 attendees in Munich

With a total exhibition area of 614,000 square meters, BAUMA it is the largest trade fair in the world by occupied space - filling the halls of Germany's Messe Munich as well as the venue's vast outdoor space. The show takes place every three years (with geocloned satellite events around the world in between). Given its profile as the leading trade fair for construction machinery, building material machines, mining machines, construction vehicles and construction equipment, it serves as a macro-economical bellwether for the global economy. Personally, I like to check for visitor growth from markets as an indicator of market growth. At Bauma, six stood out: Visitor numbers from Brazil, Portugal, Romania, the Netherlands, Turkey and Spain were up the most among the total of 600,000 reported visitors.

• Happy 100th anniversary to UFI

I cannot let this week pass without sending a heartfelt "HAPPY BIRTHDAY" to UFI. Founded in 1925 by around 20 European trade show cities across Europe, today it is the global authority and network for the trade show industry. UFI has been a part of my personal professional life for almost two decades now - in roles as attendee, speaker, member, and - for the past decade - it's CEO. Here's to Hermes, the Greek god of trade and symbol of UFI as the symbol for legacy and future.

How U.S. Tariffs may redraw the global trade show map

If high import tariffs announced by the U.S. administration are here to stay - they will cause a dramatic shift in international trade flows. I focused on this in a special edition of this newsletter, looking at which countries stand to benefit, and how the trade show landscape - already in transformation - might likely adapt. For exhibition organisers and B2B brand operatives, I have four recommendations on what do to now:

To read the full analysis - click on the image below

On the EXPO and expos

One disclaimer right at the start here: I am a fan of World Expos. I enjoy the atmosphere, the “global village feel” of their setup, the protocol and pride around the national pavilions and the very different ways they all choose to showcase their countries and topics. My first Expo was Hannover in the year 2000, wandering across the area, puzzled by a vertical Dutch farm and a birch forest within Finland’s presence. Since then, I had the opportunity to be in Shanghai, Milan, and Dubai, as well as in Yeosu for a “small” world expo. And I hope to make it to Osaka to see this year’s edition as well.

A few days back, this 2025 World Expo opened its doors on Yumeshima Island. Themed “Designing Future Society for Our Lives,” Expo 2025 Osaka hosts over 160 countries and organisations that showcase innovations aimed at addressing global challenges. But most of all, it offers a six-month opportunity for people from around the world to connect – as the role and purpose of these “Universal Expos” has changed a lot since the first one in 1851.

From Industrial Showcases to Platforms for Dialogue

This inaugural World Expo, the Great Exhibition of 1851 in London, was a monumental display of industrial prowess, featuring innovations like the telegraph and the sewing machine. Over time, these expos introduced the world to unique designs and attractions such as the Eiffel Tower in Paris in 1889 and an 80 meters tall ferris wheel in Chicago in 1893.

These times are long gone, though, and modern day World Expos have struggled to keep a comparable visibility as showcases of technological advances – a space now covered by trade shows, tech events, and conferences. For example, tech innovations are nowadays presented on the CES show floor in Las Vegas, cars premiere at the Shanghai Motor Show (coming up next month), ideas are presented at TED in Vancouver, and the latest in construction machinery at BAUMA in Munich (see news section).

The Perception Challenge

Still, when many of our stakeholders, especially in governments, talk about “expos”, they reference not “our” business events, but the World Expos. But policymakers are increasingly acknowledging the economic and cultural significance of business events. Ongoing industry advocacy helps to make the point that trade shows, conferencs, and business gatherings contribute to local economies, foster innovation, and enhance international collaboration. Unlike the infrequent World Expos, regular business events provide continuous platforms for progress and should receive commensurate attention and support.

Partner Formats – not competitors

Accordingly, the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE), which oversees these events, now positions World Expos as “forums for addressing universal challenges and fostering international cooperation”. The BIE’s mission emphasises the importance of cultural exchange and collaborative problem-solving in an increasingly interconnected world.

Osaka’s signature building – it’s Eiffel Tower if you wish – is The Grand Ring, a 20-meter-high wooden structure encircling the expo site, symbolising unity and sustainability. Despite challenges like budget overruns and construction delays, organisers aim to attract 28 million visitors over the six-month duration.

For sure, the 2025 Expo will create interest and awareness for Japan, especially valuable after the country’s huge investment into hosting the Olympic Games in Tokyo became such a muted affair due to the pandemic – taking place one year later and, essentially, without spectators on site in a pandemic bubble. The city has been working hard to secure a societal legacy from the games.

This highlights the risk of such mega-events as well, adding to the huge investments and the challenges of legacy use of the custom-built venues. Dubai – host of the previous World Expo – is in the process of converting the former Expo site into “Expo City Dubai”, with parts also being uses as exhibition venue. And in Riyadh, planning is underway for the 2030 edition of the World Expo.

For destinations to succeed here, and for an ongoing good partnership between signature one-off events like the “World Expo” and recurring, innovation- and development-driving events like trade-shows and conferences, it is key to plan infrastructure and sector development in a combined way – using the legacy events to fast-track event capabilities for the decades afterwards. This then, again, will define an Expo’s lasting legacy - and keep it relevant.

On the road - come and say hi!

IMEX Frankfurt is coming up in May - I will share a session with Reggie Aggarwal , Carina Bauer and Karen Bolinger that (shameless plug) you won't want to miss!

And in June - we can meet up in Shanghai at the 2025 Global Exhibition CEO Shanghai Summit.

That's all for today. Until next week!